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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Tim on January 09, 2015, 10:35:00 PM
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Tonights hunt was one of those nights that just make you scratch your head. So here goes.....
I couldn't help but stare at the clock most of the day. I was pretty busy at the office early on but around 11:00 everything slowed down and I planned my escape!
The weather here in eastern PA has been quite brutal the past few days with single digit temps and double digit winds. Wednesday was downright nasty but I still managed to climb into my stand despite the 25 mph winds and bone chilling cold. I was into deer all night but nothing would venture close enough, so I stayed buried in my coat and double hats. With about 10 minutes left of shooting light I "tapped out", as the young guys like to say! What I did was run back to the heat of my Jeep, pushing the electric start button as soon as it would reach! :rolleyes:
Today was different though. The winds had calmed a bit and the temps where in the mid to upper 20's. A heat wave in my eyes and a perfect night to hunt.
I pulled into the farm around 3:00 and gave my wife a quick call. She had seen a good group of deer from the highway hanging around the alfalfa right on the edge where we had hung a stand last weekend. This time of year the deer love to browse the edge of the field, stepping in and out of cover feeding on green briar and the lush alfalfa. We have a couple inches of snow on the ground but the area around the stand gets good sun and most of the snow had melted, allowing the deer to feed without having to dig.
As I slipped down the edge of the woods I could see around 9 deer gathered close to my stand location. A few neighbors walk the field edge quite often so the deer are used to getting bumped out of the field and most often return just before dark. That was the plan......so I strolled around the bend like a walker with a purpose. The deer scattered into a wave of white tails up through the woods. So far so good.... :thumbsup:
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I' m jealous you're still hunting Tim.......but looking forward to the rest of your story.
David
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I love to hunt the late season here in PA. We have a pretty good deer herd around the house and most often I see several deer each sit. The hard part is trying to slip into the stand unnoticed or unheard. Heavy coats and cold fingers really test our resolve and most of the deer are pretty aware of any change in their surroundings, making those 15 yard shots tough to pull off.
I don't have a buck tag, so I was hoping for a nice close shot a doe as I climbed up into my stand and settled in. It was a beautiful afternoon and I had some pretty high hopes. :D
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Yep David.....we go until the 24th! :jumper:
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I had only been sitting for around 20 minutes when I saw the first set of ears bump over the hill up to my right. Two more sets of ears soon followed. I could tell something was up as the two smaller deer would dodge left, than right.
A few more minutes and 50 yards, I noticed the problem. This guy was still in the frisky mode, even though his head gear seen better days. The young does he had been pestering fed out and around me and out of harms way.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0855_zps24f9d7c6.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0855_zps24f9d7c6.jpg.html)
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:biglaugh:
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It quieted down for the next half an hour as I watched the wonderful bird life. The woods was full of cardinals this afternoon.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0857_zps140368ca.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0857_zps140368ca.jpg.html)
When I first noticed the deer I thought it was the shed buck coming back towards me. It was a good sized deer with a bit of a blocky head and real nice size through it's hips. I pulled up my binoculars several times to confirm that it was a doe. And a beautiful doe she was.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0860_zpsdbfaf4c8.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0860_zpsdbfaf4c8.jpg.html)
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I always struggle with the idea of shooting the big matriarch does during the late season. I would much rather take a young doe but beggars can't be choosy so I made the decision to take her if she gave me a good close shot.
The idea of her walking right up to me for a 10 yard shot crossed my mind, but it was obviously not in the cards as she came to with 30 yards and than fed off.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0859_zpsf27c3706.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0859_zpsf27c3706.jpg.html)
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30 minutes into this doe encounter, the ancient game continued on. The more I watched her the more respect I developed for this old girl. She was all by herself and not a single sound or movement was left unnoticed. She moved only a few steps at a time, followed by long periods stillness. This deer was obviously at the top of her game and she was beginning to stress me out a bit. The sun was beginning to fade and she had made an 80 yard semi circle up and around the patch of woods. She wanted to move into the field but I just couldn't see her making that decision without the comfort of other deer and no other deer had came up the hill. It was just her and I..... :(
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Can't wait to read the rest of this story!
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This doe was good....she was real good!
She had moved to within 30 yards of me and every little breath I took seemed to gather a response. She wasn't wired, just incredibly careful.
I was afraid to stand up because I didn't know how long I would have to stand with my hands out of my pockets. The temps had dropped and I was getting cold. I decided to sit tight and see how it played out.
At 10 yards she glanced up at me. I was tucked into my coat and had my eyes mostly closed. Her glance was only brief and the multi trunked tree I was in did it's job. She was quartering away and just in front of the tree in the center of this frame.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0861_zpsa516c332.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0861_zpsa516c332.jpg.html)
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Just as I "thought" about standing she tensed! OMG....this chick was insane, I thought to myself!
She mellowed for just a second and looked up the hill to the right. I quickly stood and came into my anchor in one motion. The arrow was gone and crashed into her ribs in back of her shoulder.
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She dropped hard and ran out into the field and than cut back into the woods towards the direction she had came. She stopped in some green briar 60 yards away and just stood there. I pulled up my binoculars and could see my arrow buried to the fletch on her left side in back of the shoulder and the tip of the shaft sticking out her right side just in front of the opposite leg.
I sat down and said a prayer for her to fall over......
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I'm in ....
,,,Sam,,,
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Sounds good this far. Excellent recount of the event!
Travis
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Come on with the rest of it Tim....sounds good so far brother!!
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Hope for the best. Leaving in a few minutes to go hunting. Hope you have found here before I get back on here.
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Way to Go Brother! I already smell the tenderloins cooking!
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:campfire:
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OK buddy, I'm up with coffee in hand.
Let's hear the rest!! :campfire:
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Good Morning Folks, a brisk minus 1 on my thermometer, so I decided to sleep in! :cool:
Back to the story.....
The shot looked good and as I sat staring through my binoculars something just didn't seem right. I've been at this long enough to know that things are always as they appear, and for some reason this just didn't feel right to me.
All I could see of the deer was her tail end. She was facing away from me in some thick stuff and was very still. I had glanced at my watch and I had shot her at 4:46, it was now 4:59 and she was still standing perfectly still. I on the other hand was beginning to question the obvious placement of my shot.
I decided to get down and sneak out.
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Hello , Little buddy. You didn't fall back asleep did you. :thumbsup:
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The walk out would be extremely quiet due to the light powdery snow. Plus the woods and the field edge provided me all the cover I needed to not be seen.
I wasn't too happy at this point and to be honest I was pretty "pissed off" for lack of a better term. The deer deserved better than this and as hard as I prayed I just couldn't make her fall over fast enough. I questioned whether I should have taken the shot, whether the shot had been as good as I thought and why in the heck I do this at times. I hate blood trails and when I don't see the deer fall over my thoughts go wild.....
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Tim, You have my attention. Looking forward to the rest!
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Your late season snow melts? Ours just gets deeper.
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Cathy, my wife and counselor, was in the kitchen when I walked in the door. I told her about the deer, how she had been so careful in every decision she made and how the shot scenario played out. She just smiled and said, figures.....you do know what today is don't you? Fred passed away on this day 4 years ago, he obviously had something to do with this. Fred was my best friend whom I lost to cancer. It seemed like yesterday, man I miss him.
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What kept coming to mind was one lung. I had shot a buck ten years ago with Fred that I "thought" was perfect. One of those, "honey, I just shot a nice buck and will be home in 10 minutes"!
I ended up putting another arrow in that deer a good half a mile away, the next day! One lung hits can be a nightmare and I couldn't get that out of my head.
We had dinner, suited up for the cold temps and back to the farm we went. We each had a good flashlight, fresh batteries and where dressed in wool. The quietest clothes we had.
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The last place I had seen her was behind a large multi trunked silver maple. The tree stood not five yards from the spot I had killed a nice buck earlier in the year. This was Cathy's first blood trail in cold conditions and she was amazed at how fast it had crystalized.
Not far from the maple we found this......
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0863_zpsacb2cdf3.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0863_zpsacb2cdf3.jpg.html)
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They are amazing animals Tim, and she sounds like an extra special one. (The fact that you are telling the story and not in the woods right now bodes well though)
David
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The arrow had been pulled completely through and was drenched in blood. There was a spot where she had stood and a few yards away, a second spot where she had laid down.
We stood silently trying to fill in the missing pieces. No doubt we had bumped her out of a bed. The tension just jumped a notch....
We followed the spray of blood and tracks through some nasty green briar and back out and over the trail we had just came in. I wouldn't say it was a stellar blood trail but it was good enough to walk at a steady pace.
80 yards into the trail we spot the deer ahead, standing and watching her back trail. She bumped off and we decided to bump out. Back to the Jeep and home again to think this out.
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The drive home was rather quiet. Cathy and I each had our thoughts on what to do next. Leaving the deer over night would encourage foxes and possibly a light dusting of snow which could mean a lost deer.
I was NOT going to lose this deer!
We made the decision to go back in two hours and stay on her. I knew the property well and as long as we had blood and tracks we would stay with her. A long two hours it was as I paced the house.
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We picked up the trail quickly and so did the blood loss. She was easy to follow the next 100 yards in and out of the thick stuff. We trailed her quietly as possible and soon came up on her again. She was laying down facing her back trail. She bumped out again, losing some footing as she ran. We continued on....
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Here's where things got interesting.
She had made a perfect loop and headed back up the thicket on her same trail. The blood trail, deer tracks and foot tracks where one big mess. She had doubled back and had definitely taken her game to an all new level!!!
I whispered to Cathy to keep looking off to the left and I'll look off to the right. At some point she may break off to one side, we can't lose her track no matter what, lose her track and we lose her.
Neither one of us were looking up when once again we bumped her. This time not 15 yards in front of us. Fortunately she made a hard right and established a new trail, one that was much more apparent and easy to follow.
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It's amazing how this predator / prey game was playing out. We had become so focused on the trail that we hadn't even realized we had once again crossed our trail. Fortunately the trail was not much longer. We heard her crash not far in front of us. I told Cathy to give her a few minutes and we shut down the lights. It was over....
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Good job,Tim and Mrs.! A well told story as well.
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The place of her last struggle was a combination of tracks and broken sticks. She was extremely tough and obviously not going out without a struggle. I would have hated to have to fight her.......
The trail had gone much longer than anyone would have wanted or deserved. The shot entry was midway up the body 3 inches in back of the shoulder. The exit wound was just in front of the opposite shoulder. The broadhead, a Magnus 4 blade was bent in the ferrule, obviously from striking the opposite leg.
Bowhunting is a game of inches and angles. What appears to be perfect placement sometimes proves otherwise as this evenings hunt proved. She was an incredible deer with an amazing will to live, she is one I won't soon forget.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0864_zpsba51af9f.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0864_zpsba51af9f.jpg.html)
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I don't like to post pics that aren't tasteful but I took a picture of the exit wound to help folks understand that good shots don't always mean short blood trails. Here is the exit wound for those like me, whom are fascinated with the tenacity of these awesome animals.
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0872_zpse67e4582.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0872_zpse67e4582.jpg.html)
And the entry wound.....
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Wyoming1/IMG_0736_zps6d0c6560.jpg) (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/Wyoming1/media/IMG_0736_zps6d0c6560.jpg.html)
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Big head on that old girl......well done keeping at it......ron
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Great story Tim, thanks for sharing it. Do you have a photo of the entrance?
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I thoroughly enjoyed that read!
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Congratulations Tim. Great deer and story.
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Hey Jim......I uploaded another pic for you showing the entry.
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Wow, great job Tim by you and Cathy. These animals amaze me, she has left her genes and lessons to her offspring, I am sure you meet some of them in the future.
Great hunt, and thanks for sharing.
David
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Congratulations! I'm glad you finally got her. She was very smart.
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Well done buddy!
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What organs did you hit?
Thanks for the story.
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Nice recovery Tim, way to stay on her. Congrats.
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Big doe, congrats!!! Glad it worked out for you and her.
I feel all archers will fall victim to the tenacity of a whitetail at some point or another, mix that with a not perfect shot and the out come can be far less than satisfying. Many of deer have been loss from single lung and liver shots. There was a story not to long ago on here where a nice buck survived like 4 days on a single lung.
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Looks like a really nice doe. Good job. I shot an 8 point buck a few years ago right thru both lungs at last light. Because I was hunting in back of some houses I decided to come back in the morning thinking it would be a 10 minute trail. Well, the arrow failed to pass all the way thru hitting the off side shoulder. And even though both lungs were center punched it took me four hours to find him and I walked by him several times as he was in a thick blueberry swamp/wetland area. Yes, they can be tenacious even with a "perfect" hit.
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Hey John.....at that point in time Cathy and I where mentally drained and getting cold. I didn't check out the organs to confirm what was hit and what was not. By the looks of the angle it would appear that I had struck the left lung and exited low missing the heart. No doubt a slight change of angle would have produced a move positive outcome. As you're well aware, quite a bit can happen from the time of release to impact. We were just glad to have found her.
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Nice going Tim,good karma too. :thumbsup:
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Good job Tim!!! She looks like a candidate for Honey bologna!!!
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Tim,
Congratulations on the doe, she deserved no less than the effort you and Cathy made for the recovery.
The shot looks perfect,all we can do is our best.
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This is a very instructive story. Some say an older doe is much smarter than a mature buck. That appears to be the case with her. Without antlers, she is surely a trophy.
With the temperatures, I would have waited to the morning. I have yet to loose one to coyotes, but it is possible.
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This is exactly why I shake my head when guys complain the the broad head did not do it job. It was a perfect shot in there eyes. Over the years I have said to myself shoot that was a bad shot to find to watch the deer fall in sight. And others that looked perfect end like your or even word with no recovery.
Very nice old doe. Took my biggest doe ever in Western PA during the 1978 late Muzzy season.
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Those left lung only hits can be brutal. Years back I helped with a similar hit, compound shooter with a muzzy, they came in on me while I was hunting. He decided to wait for morning as he was not sure of his hit, he said that he could not see it, must have been pretty dark. I found the deer for him, or what was left of it. It traveled about 350 yards from the shot.
If your coyote numbers are anything like ours, you did the right thing.
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Congratulations Tim. You earned this one. Way to keep at it. :thumbsup:
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Way to go pal!
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Congrats. Great story. . . and an education once again for all of us. Hard to believe how things can turn. How different it could have been without snow. Many stories/discussions come to my mind; the "void," "one lung", etc etc. Some reality in all of it.
Dan in KS
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Wow. That shot placement should have taken out some major arteries above the heart, in addition to one lung. Amazed she went that far. Good job staying with it. Nice animal.
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Way to go Tim!
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congrats
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Thank you Tim. This is a great write up of a situation that new bowhunters need to know about. I'm with you on posting gory pictures, but they really illustrated your point on how good a shot can look.
TBWpodcast did a great episode on one-lung recoveries. If anyone wants to hear some more on this subject after reading this, that would be a good one.
Thom
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Thanks again for sharing, Tim.
Hopefully, some (if not all of us) can learn a little from your story. Every time I hear someone say they hit one "perfect", yet it went a long way or they didn't recover it, I immediately think that they didn't hit it as well as they thought.
Congrats again, your perseverance is inspiring! I will buy you an adult beverage when we meet up to shoot this spring.
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Good story. Congrats on your recovery. Thanks for posting the results of your shot. How high was your stand? You sure hit the nail on the head saying this is a game of inches and angles. Things can look so good but the angle can get us in so much trouble. Congrats again.
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Brother, that was an awesome hunt and write up!
Like you, I've been doing this for a long time...
I'm a firm believer that some critters are just put together a little different than others of the same species....I've seen enough both inside and out to confirm it. Couple that with the fact that some animals just have an incredible will to live and you have the ingredients for what you just experienced!
I know a lot of folks are saying one lung.....but from the photos....even with the angle, that still should have been back of near, and thru the far lung.....
But what it actually hit on that old girl...we'll just never know...
In the end all we can do is try to make the best shot as humanly possible....once the arrow is released...all bets are off.
Great job buddy....look forward to see you and the big guy soon :campfire:
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:archer:
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Nice Tim. Great job sticking with it!
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Way to go! I'm glad it worked out. Keeping them on their feet is sometimes the best.
You're description of the moments leading up to the shot reminded me of more than one encounter I've had recently. I'm thinking that these people savvy deer are actually looking for me, like they hear me, or, I've seen them hit my track, and then they hunt me down. If they do find me they usually go berserk and blow for an hour,...but every once in awhile one will be satisfied, back out and be fine with just knowing where I am so she can avoid me.( Or maybe disappointed that I didn't feed her! A lot of people feeding deer around here.)
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Wow! It's crazy what they can do sometimes!
Congrats and glad you found Her!
Bisch
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One lung and just barely missed the heart. Good on you for braving the elements and for your tenacity of finishing what you started Brother. You are the real deal!
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As archers we have a responsibility to the animals we hunt to show respect and gratitude for what they provide us ... good job Tim, great story and very insightful :thumbsup:
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Glad it ended well! Nothing worse than losing one. Congrats.
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Wow... tough deer. Also notable... very awesome wife! :thumbsup:
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Congrats on a fine late season doe! :thumbsup:
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Congrats Tim! Excellent job of finishing what you started!
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Great recovery Tim. We all wish for that shot where we see them fall, but know that's not always the case. Way to hang in there to the end! Congratulations for your late season doe! :thumbsup:
Bernie
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Well done Tim. Congrats on the big old Doe.
It amazes me how cognizant the deer are of their back trail and the scent they may leave.
I have witnessed does looping around to fool bucks and deer run patterns to shake coyotes.
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My thoughts keep going back to what your wife said to you about your friend Fred... Strange no one made mention of that here... I'm gonna guess his spirit was beside you during your hunt and recovery...
... mike ...
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Nice job Tim and Cathy, where was junior?? The deer hunting you out happens to me all the time. You done well to get her in close then making a real nice shot. Well done.
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Great job brother!!! Tough ole girl for sure. Shot
looks as you described it, "perfect". Sometimes crazy things happen in the woods. Very happy you found her. :thumbsup:
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Smart, tough old doe meets smart tough old bowhunter and his equally tenacious wife. A classic contest and was well told, indeed.
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Way to stay after it Tim !!! Congrats on a fine late season doe.
Bill
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Good job Tim. Glad you found it.
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Nice woods- donkey, Bro, congrats
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Thanks folks for all the "backslaps"! A classy group of folks on this site!
Thanks Mike.......I'm still rattled by Fred's passing.
"tenacious wife" :big laugh: Mark, you have no idea!!! Halfway into the drag back to the truck I told her I'd be fine if she wanted to pull the old girl out alone, at that point she was doing 90% of the pulling!!! She's 95% lady and 5% grizzly bear!
.
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Tim,
Congrats, and thanks for sharing your hunt and story with us!
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Congrats Tim. Enjoyed reading the "Blow by Blow" if you will.
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Tim and Cathy, thanks for sharing a great adventure. Those of us who have been there can truly appreciate the the passion and dedication Tim has and for others lessons to be learned. Difficult decisions to be made in the field that determine the final outcome, good or bad. Thanks for your sharing.
Mark
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Congrats and thanks for sharing. Job well done. :thumbsup:
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Tim...your story was exceeded only by your sportsmanship and sense of fair play......!!!!! Made me proud to be a Pennsylvania hunter..... just a great hunting story...!!!! And I know perfectly well how cold it has been .....it made the story that much better....well done!
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Great story! I can't imagine a deer with those entry exit wounds making it that far! Good learning experience for all of us! Thanks for taking the time to post this story!
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Way to stay with it. If this doe were mine, with the tenacity you describe, I'd tan her hide as a keepsake and reminder so she'll live on for many years.
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Way to stick with it Tim...congrats brother!
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Great job sticking with her. :thumbsup:
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Way to stick it out, congrats! Looks like a heck of a shot. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Good job Tim and great story telling. Congrats!
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good story
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Well done! :thumbsup:
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Nice work! Excellent job, and really great to have posted, since it is a terrific illustration of the value of real Woodsmanship...
And Woods-womanship!
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Congratulations on your well deserved recovery. Whitetail are an amazing animal with an extraordinary survival instinct. Great post that will help educate many on their next tracking job.
Joe :thumbsup:
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Good job Tim! Those 1 lung hits are the worst case scenarios in my opinion. Harder to get both lungs than people think and probably more deer not recovered by 1 lung hits than other fatal hits (guts, liver, kidneys, etc..)
Personally, with the snow cover, cold temps, and deers reaction after being shot I would've waited until morning, especially after bumping her several times. Just my opinion, not a criticism
Either way well done late season hunt. Thanks for sharing
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Well Done!
Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.
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The same thing happened to me this year in Iowa. I shot a doe at 7 yards from a stand 8 ft in a tree. The arrow entered half way up and between 3rd and 2nd to last rib on left side, existed right behind right front leg. Figured it would be a 50 yard recovery. I tracked about 100 yards, backed out and drove back the next with my wife, tracked on very little blood(Oct no snow) and eventually ended up shooting her again. The arrow went right behind the heart only getting the left lung.
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Dang Tim this sounds a little to familier to my story a few years ago. Way to hang in there and see it to the end buddy your a great sportsman, congrats on a fine late season doe.
Thanks for sharing it with us and great picks!
Tracy
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Congrats on the beautiful doe and fantastic story!
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SOMETHING out of the ordinary happened there.
Judging by the entrance and exit, I would have considered that a 10 second and down deer.
All the big arteries across the top of the heart...not to mention the left lung and tip front tip of the right were right in that arrow`s path.
Thanks for sharing and congrats.
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Tim, you should share some good stories about Fred.
That was a great looking Doe.
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Congrats Tim!
Way to follow up on the shot.
Enjoy the feast!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
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Great Story!
unfortunately I have been there as well this season,
but was'nt as fortunate to find my prize at the end of the tunnel..